Child Protection Legislation

The final report of the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into the handling of abuse by religious and other organisations was tabled on 13 November 2013. All 15 recommendations made in the ‘Betrayal of Trust Report’ were accepted and enacted by the government. They include:

Legislative amendments and creation of new criminal laws

Establishing Child Safe Standards

Exclusion of criminal child abuse from the current statute of limitation

Instituting a system of compliance under the Working with Children Act 2005

Implementing a reportable conduct scheme

In January 2013 the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse was initiated to investigate how institutions respond to allegations and instances of Child Sexual Abuse. The public hearings will conclude March 2017 and findings are expected to be handed down in late 2017.

Click here to access the Betrayal of Trust factsheet on ‘The Grooming’ offence.

Click here to access the Betrayal of Trust factsheet on ‘The Failure to Protect’ offence.

Click here to access the Betrayal of Trust factsheet on ‘The Failure to Disclose’ offence.